Title: Dark Matter searches with atomic and molecular systems
Abstract: 
Atomic, molecular, and optical physics has evolved rapidly in the last years, leading to a unique degree of control in preparing and addressing quantum states of atoms and molecules. As a result, atoms and molecules are emerging as a new platform for studying physics beyond the Standard Model. In this talk, we present our research on molecules as a new avenue for dark matter detection. For example, a dark matter particle scattering off the nuclei of a molecule will excite the vibrational degrees of freedom, leading to the emission of photons, after de-excitation, that can be detected. Similarly, the same scattering event could trigger an electronic excitation of the molecule via the Migdal effect, leading to a similar sensitivity as proposals based on semiconductor devices [2], making molecules an excellent candidate for detecting dark matter. Finally, we will present our study on physics beyond the Standard Model via high-precision spectroscopic in positronium [3].

[1] R. Essig, J. Pérez-Ríos, H. Ramani and O. Slone, Phys. Res. 1, 03305 (2019)

[2] C. Blanco, I. Harris, Y. Kahn, B. Lillard and J. Pérez-Ríos, Phys. Rev. D 106, 115015 (2022)

[3] D. B. Cassidy, G. Adkins and J. Pérez-Ríos, Phys. Reports 975, 1 (2022)